BURTON, MI – Bob Peterson said that his new Burton store – Michigan’s Greatest Fudge & Taffy Co. – promises the same decadence and great taste of Mackinac Island fudge, but without the horse smell.

As the owner of Michigan’s Greatest Fudge & Taffy Co. and a life-long resident of Grand Blanc, Peterson decided to bring the northern Michigan treat to Genesee County after working for years at The Original Mackinac Island Fudge Co. in Zilwaukee.

During his time there, he learned the art of fudge-making and how to turn the product from a seasonal treat to “an everyday item at the grocery store.”

“Having learned that trade and having learned how to get fudge out into the market place, we knew that we could do on our own thing with our own recipes, and do it in a way that we could do it for wholesales and continue to grow,” Peterson said.

“Fudge was always an item that was a holiday or vacation type of thing. So in kind of a paradigm shift, we’ve been able to condition the market to having it all the time. That’s what we’ve been able to do and this spot where we are now is a real benefit and bonus to us because it puts us back in our hometown.”

While the store’s location at 4449 S. Saginaw St. in Burton was chosen because of its proximity to Peterson’s home and the fact that it is a central location for the wholesale distribution of his product, he admitted that Burton isn’t exactly the Mecca of fudge.

In fact, customers in the shop were surprised to see that fudge – normally reserved for Mackinac or Frankenmuth – was being produced in Genesee County.

“My mom and grandma are huge fudge people and my grandma will make a trip up to Mackinac a couple times a year just for the fudge, but if it’s as good as they say it is then she won’t need to anymore with it being this close and cheap.”

Peterson produces 15 different types of fudge and a large variety of taffy using mostly Michigan-made products.

From cookies & cream, rocky road, maple and almond coconut, to the more traditional chocolate, peanut butter and turtle, he said that the he separates himself from other fudge makers because of the consistency of the product and the quality of the ingredients he uses.

“There are a couple different things that we’re good at and one of those things is that we won’t pigeonhole ourselves. Fudge is pretty non-proprietary, but our product is consistent,” Peterson said.

“Every piece of fudge you get from us is going to be exactly the same because of how we make our product. And we only use the finest ingredients – a lot of which are products from Michigan-based companies.”

The shop serves as a retail store and a wholesale production facility, but Peterson said that wasn’t the initial plan. When he opened a little more than a month ago, sales were through the roof during the first week and he said he decided to open test the retail market as a result of that initial success.

They sold more than 2,000 4-ounce squares of fudge in the first four days that it was open. At that point he said he knew he had something great on his hands.

“I don’t want to say that we’ve been a well-kept secret, but we’ve been a well-kept secret. It always takes a while to get your sign up on the building, but we’ve been making it without, and as soon as we started putting the sign up on the building and on the road it’s made a real big difference,” Peterson said.

“The community has been really good and very supportive of us. Having sold as much as we did in as fast as we did, we had to figure out a lot in a hurry.”

Peterson’s father – Rex Peterson – has been there from day one to help him figure those things out.

The two have put countless hours into getting the location ready to manufacture the products, figuring out recipes, marketing and advertising the company.

Rex Peterson, a retired executive from General Motors and Electronic Data Systems, said that he’s enjoyed the process of running a business with his son.

“Bob and I got to talking about this business and it just seemed natural. We only have one main goal other than being successful and that’s to love each other as much at the end as much as we do at the beginning,” he said.

“I’ve always been kind of an in-charge guy, but turning it over to my son hasn’t been too difficult. It’s his business and I’m just here to try to help him make it as successful as possible. It’s kind of a sweet business to be in.”

With a family history that dates back more than 140 years in Grand Blanc, Bob Peterson said that the business is sort of a culmination of all the things he loves.

“I can use my sales experience, I get to work with my family, it’s only 3.7 miles from where I live in Grand Blanc and I can create a product that I worked with for so many years,” Bob Peterson said.

And his customer base appreciates the fact that getting good fudge won’t require a full tank of gas and a mini-vacation anymore.

Grand Blanc resident Amy Smith made a stop in the store to pick up a bag of taffy for her husband and said that it’s not the type of store you expect to see in this part of Michigan.

“I looked outside and saw fudge. I came in because my husband loves saltwater taffy. It’s very unusual but it’s really cool. You always see this up in Mackinac and so that’s what caught my eye the most. You always have to go up there to get it, but now we have it this close,” Smith said.

In addition to his wholesale and retail sales, Bob Peterson also partners with people in the community to do fundraising for local organizations where orders are placed and the host organization receives 50 percent of sales while the business gets the other 50 percent.

“We’re customer service oriented. We take time out to talk with people and get to know them so we can become a part of the community and not just another business. I’d say we make the best fudge that you can buy.”